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dell30rb · April 24th, 2008, 20:19

I just hit 21 years old and just finishing up my sophomore year in business school at nc state. I have never done anything so boring in my life. I did well in high school, had great SAT scores but am struggling here because its just not something that excites me. Business school was just the wrong choice for me, I knew it but I went along because it was a good opportunity, my parents wanted me to do it and would pay for it. Few of my graduating friends are finding well paying jobs, and the idea of a desk job is just not appealing to me. Growing up my dad was a pilot (although he has not flown in several years) and I used to go flying with him in his Cessna 172 RG. I went to many air shows as a kid and used to build kit r/c planes and gliders.

Now I'm considering my options as a pilot for a career. I want to do this because I think it is something I can get excited about, and would be more than willing to work hard at to succeed. I guess I would want to end up flying for an airline or something like netjets one day, but I think I might want to do something different now than just pay out the ass for flight school, then try to land a job with a commercial airline. I am the adventurous type; I've been racing motocross since I was 12. I am also an experienced sailor and would honestly rather be out in a storm than perfect weather. Not to say I'm reckless, I just enjoy a challenge, and I like it when things are maybe a little dangerous.

That said what kind of alternatives would I have to flight school/commercial airlines? Last time I flew anywhere, I spent some time talking with a pilot for AA. I told him I was interested in flying, and he said that he got into flying by working for NOAA. He spent a year on a boat, then somehow got into flight training. They trained him and footed the bill, and he flew for a couple years on research/data collecting missions, then wound up taking a spot flying the p-3 on hurricane hunter missions. That sounds awesome to me, but I really couldn't find any info on NOAA's website about flight training, jobs for pilots or any of the like. Just low paying positions on boats. Another option that seems appealing to me is flying in the mountains (Colorado) or a sea-plane... something like that. As of now I don't need something well paying (I want to do it for the fun) but I want something where I can gain experience and hopefully land a well paying job with an airline or the like a few years down the road. What kind of jobs are available in these areas and how can I go about getting training to get them?

Military is probably not an option for me, I don't know if I want to deal with the whole system.
Also could someone define for me exactly what an FBO is? I see this is an alternative to a fast track school.

Sorry for the long post, any advice is appreciated.

April 24th, 2008, 20:19	#1
dell30rb Newbie Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: raleigh, nc Posts: 9	looking to start a career in flying I just hit 21 years old and just finishing up my sophomore year in business school at nc state. I have never done anything so boring in my life. I did well in high school, had great SAT scores but am struggling here because its just not something that excites me. Business school was just the wrong choice for me, I knew it but I went along because it was a good opportunity, my parents wanted me to do it and would pay for it. Few of my graduating friends are finding well paying jobs, and the idea of a desk job is just not appealing to me. Growing up my dad was a pilot (although he has not flown in several years) and I used to go flying with him in his Cessna 172 RG. I went to many air shows as a kid and used to build kit r/c planes and gliders. Now I'm considering my options as a pilot for a career. I want to do this because I think it is something I can get excited about, and would be more than willing to work hard at to succeed. I guess I would want to end up flying for an airline or something like netjets one day, but I think I might want to do something different now than just pay out the ass for flight school, then try to land a job with a commercial airline. I am the adventurous type; I've been racing motocross since I was 12. I am also an experienced sailor and would honestly rather be out in a storm than perfect weather. Not to say I'm reckless, I just enjoy a challenge, and I like it when things are maybe a little dangerous. That said what kind of alternatives would I have to flight school/commercial airlines? Last time I flew anywhere, I spent some time talking with a pilot for AA. I told him I was interested in flying, and he said that he got into flying by working for NOAA. He spent a year on a boat, then somehow got into flight training. They trained him and footed the bill, and he flew for a couple years on research/data collecting missions, then wound up taking a spot flying the p-3 on hurricane hunter missions. That sounds awesome to me, but I really couldn't find any info on NOAA's website about flight training, jobs for pilots or any of the like. Just low paying positions on boats. Another option that seems appealing to me is flying in the mountains (Colorado) or a sea-plane... something like that. As of now I don't need something well paying (I want to do it for the fun) but I want something where I can gain experience and hopefully land a well paying job with an airline or the like a few years down the road. What kind of jobs are available in these areas and how can I go about getting training to get them? Military is probably not an option for me, I don't know if I want to deal with the whole system. Also could someone define for me exactly what an FBO is? I see this is an alternative to a fast track school. Sorry for the long post, any advice is appreciated.